Arts & Culture

8:56 am

Fri July 25, 2014

Newport Folk Festival Celebrates 55 Years

The Newport Folk Festival kicks off today. The 55-year old festival is more popular than ever.

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Tickets for the festival sold out even before the full lineup was announced. A resurgence in the festival’s popularity has been credited to an increasingly diverse collection of artists, and a major social media presence. The festival is now so popular it’s been expanded to three days.

One artist performing this year is actor John C. Reilly. Though he’s best known for his movie roles, Reilly also plays professionally with a folk trio. He says he’s also honored to take the stage at the legendary Newport Folk Festival.

“When we got the offer to play Newport I was just floored. That’s a real badge of honor for anyone that’s into this kind of music, to be part of that,” said Reilly.

The festival has gotten so large it now puts on a series of shows at other venues after the daytime concerts. Reilly will be playing one tonight at the Columbus Theater in Providence.

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